James Franklin had the traditional Game Week Monday presser, and among other things, announced that former Penn State Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer will be the starting quarterback on Saturday. To add to his duties, he is also the captain of captains by being named Team Captain as well.
In a Surprise to Absolutely No One
James Franklin’s presser for VMI week included the answer to at least one question that was foremost in most of Hokie Nation’s collective mind. The starting Quarterback position had been held as an open competition,
and most knowledgeable folks sort of took that with a wink and a nod.
Last week the 2026 squad captains were announced, and Ethan Grunkemeyer was officially named as an offensive captain. After that “C” was awarded, there was a very tiny doubt left about who would be behind Kyle Altuner, the obvious starting Center. Everyone was just waiting for the news, and the coach dropped it today. It was his nearly first announcement. The QB2 position is still under review so that doesn’t surprise, either. There is actually very good talent in that room, and as long as Grunkemeyer keeps it up, we are unlikely to see any big changes for 2026.
Of course, the injury monster haunts every player and in particular the quarterback position so that #2 position is going to be critical. If the points spread and anticipated score for the VMI game holds, the backups might get good looks in Garbage Time.
We won’t be seeing a depth chart until Game Day, and given that it’s an FCS opener it might not have been a useful list, anyway.
The other question on the minds of most Hokie fans is the first cut at the offensive line. The coach announced a probable starting lineup as:
Left Tackle: Aidan Lynch
Left Guard: Montavious Cunningham
Center: Kyle Altuner
Right Guard: Layth Ghannam
Right Tackle: Justin Terry
This is basically the anticipated starting list for the season, but as Coach Franklin noted, things can change. Individually, this is a really good offensive line to start. They’ll have to prove that they have jelled as a unit, and can have subs put in without a drop off in performance.
Facing VMI is Going to Be a Taste of a Bitter Pill
As a note in the conference, it’s really important to remember that VMI is running Paul Johnson’s Triple-Option offense, with some of Army’s Jeff Monken flavor added. That’s going to be the big challenge for Brent Pry and the defense. There are very few passes in the Triple-Option, but when they come, they are often painful. Paul Johnson’s Georgia Tech team ambushed Bud Foster’s defenses several times.
There is another big problem with the option, and that’s 4th down. If the offense is routinely getting 3 yards a down, they are likely to go for it on 4th down when the field position is neutral or better. It means defending all four downs instead of three.
Tech is going to have to score, and score often. If the Keydets can run the ball on the option, and burn up the clock the entire character of the game could change in a very fast paced time flamer.
